What is your favorite newspaper cartoon? "Peanuts"? "Garfield"? "Dilbert"?

Transcription

1 Not-So-Loony Toons What is your favorite newspaper cartoon? "Peanuts"? "Garfield"? "Dilbert"? Although those cartoons might make you laugh, another kind of cartoon will make you laugh and think. It's called an editorial cartoon. Artists draw editorial cartoons to express their opinions about subjects in the news, such as elections or the war in Afghanistan. Cartoonists use a number of techniques, including symbolism, exaggeration, humor, and caricature (KAR-ih-kah-choor) to comment on news events. Symbolism On June 30, 2004, more than one year after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the United States transferred power in the war-torn country to a new Iraqi government. In one cartoon, artist Mike Thompson marked the moment by drawing a bald eagle tossing an unhatched egg marked "NEW IRAQI GOV'T" from a nest high on top of a cliff. "Fly!" the eagle yells as it tosses the egg into the air. A symbol is something that stands for something else. A symbol's effectiveness depends on whether the audience understands what the symbol depicts. What do you think the bald eagle symbolizes? Why did Thompson use an egg for the new Iraqi government? What do you think Thompson is saying about the transfer of power to the new Iraqi government? Exaggeration Cartoonists distort 1 the characters in their cartoons. Such distortion is called exaggeration. 2 In one cartoon, artist Gary Markstein uses exaggeration to illustrate the problem of illegal steroid use in sports. Steroids are drugs that help athletes become stronger and more muscular. 1 distort: to twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition 2 exaggeration: an enlargement of a fact or statement beyond what is actual or true Article: Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 1

2 At first glance, it seems as though a muscular baseball player is walking towards the dugout. But that's not the case--it's a batboy. What point is Markstein trying to make? Was he effective? Humor By being funny, a cartoonist can draw lighthearted attention to a serious problem. In 2004 the economy went up and down, although President George W. Bush said that things were improving. In one cartoon, artist Marshall Ramsey drew the president taxiing an airplane toward trees labeled Election Day. The plane represented the economy. As the plane bounced to the end of the runway, a worried Bush was thinking, "C'mon...lift off!" Do you think the artist believed the economy would get off the ground before the election? Why or why not? Caricature Political cartoonists use a special form of exaggeration called caricature to distort the subject of a cartoon. An artist will often center on a person's looks, behavior, or dress in drawing a caricature. In one cartoon, artist Michael Ramirez draws two huge faces of former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former New York Senator Hillary Clinton. Both gave rousing speeches at the Democratic National Convention of The Clintons look down at a small John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee. An aide says to Kerry, "Don't worry about the Clintons overshadowing you." Why did Ramirez make the Clintons so big? Why did he draw Kerry so small? What might be the cartoonist's view of the Democratic convention? Article: Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 2

3 Name: Date: 1. All of the following people are cartoonists EXCEPT A Michael Ramirez B Marshall Ramsey C Gary Markstein D John Kerry 2. The author of this passage lists examples of cartooning techniques. Which two techniques use cartoon distortion? A symbolism and humor B exaggeration and symbolism C caricature and exaggeration D humor and caricature 3. After reading the passage, you can conclude that editorial cartoons A do not express any important opinions B are never as funny as Dilbert and Garfield C are an effective way to express an opinion D will no longer be popular in the near future 4. Read this sentence from the passage: A symbol's effectiveness depends on whether the audience understands what the symbol depicts. Based on the text, the word depict means A to make people laugh B to show by a drawing C to listen and learn D to paint by number 5. Which statement best describes the main idea of this passage? A Artists use several techniques to draw editorial cartoons. B Everyone should read editorial cartoons to understand the news. C Editorial cartoons are better than cartoons such as Peanuts. D Most people understand the symbolism in editorial cartoons. 1

4 6. What did one artist draw to illustrate the problem of illegal steroids? 7. In one cartoon, Mike Thompson drew a bald eagle tossing an unhatched egg marked "NEW IRAQI GOV'T" from a nest high on top of a cliff. "Fly!" the eagle yells as it tosses the egg into the air. What do you think the bald eagle symbolizes? Why did Thompson use an egg for the new Iraqi government? 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Cartoonists use techniques, including symbolism, exaggeration, humor, and caricature express their opinions. A or B for C to D yet 2

5 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. Political cartoonists can bring lighthearted attention to a serious problem by drawing something funny. Who? (can do) What? can bring lighthearted attention to a serious problem How? 10. Vocabulary Word: distort: to twist out of a natural, normal, or original shape or condition. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: 3